The Empress, Jedi, & Sith 1:Luke & Leia Discovered
by wildchartermage
Summary: Vader had escaped from Mustafar uninjured & Padme died in childbirth. Twelve years later, Luke & Leia were discovered by their father at their respective planets. Leia will be an empress of Alderaan, and Luke is just our favorite farmboy on Tattoine. R R
1. The Funeral

_The Empress, Jedi, and Sith 1: Luke & Leia Discovered_

_Summary:_ Darth Vader had escaped from Mustafar uninjured and Padme had died in childbirth, as in Episode III. About twelve years later, Luke and Leia were discovered by their father at their respective planet. Leia Organa is now an empress of Alderaan (I like the word 'empress" better than "queen" because "empress" sounds more powerful than "queen".) As for Luke…he is just still our favorite farmboy.

Disclaimer: Hey guys! All of Star Wars characters belong to George Lucas and I ain't stealing them, just use them for fun! Also, the characters that do not belong to Lucas in here are MINE!

Chapter 1: The Funeral

"…and may our king and queen, Bail and Sache Organa, rest in peace."

The Alderaan's High Royal Priest had ended his parting speech with a note of sadness and finality.

Bail and Sache Organa's funeral was the largest and most magnificent ever saw in the whole history of Alderaan's royal funerals. Thousands of people, even people from distant planets, had come to pay their respect to Alderaan's beloved king and queen. Many Alderaanians can be seen weeping when the two caskets passed them to be buried. Black, a color of mourning, had decorated everywhere to show the Alderannians' sadness and despair. However, they still have a hope to look forward in the future because Leia will be their queen. She will take care of them, just like her parents did the same thing for them.

The demise of their well-loved and popular king and queen was a mystery and well speculated. They were discovered dead in their bed on the morning after their last dinner. There were rumors that the Empire may be involved in the demise, but no evidence could be found. Also, there was a most-likely theory that they had been poisoned while eating their last supper. Autopsies had been done and their death could not be pinpointed. It was like they died of an old age, but in their case, they were only in their fifties and were very healthy. Indeed, it is a mystery that was waiting to be cracked.

The Royal Guards and detectives had scoured the palace and interrogated everybody, even the cooks who cooked their last dinner and servants serving their table. But, it was all in vain, for no clues could be found.

Due to the death of Leia's parents, her suspicion of the Empire had increased ten-fold. She wasn't sure if the rumors that said the Empire killed her parents and intended to kill her too, so they can control Alderaan, were true. Nonetheless, she will not listen to some mindless rumors.

As for the Empire, her parents were active in the Imperial Senate. Leia is not in Imperial Senate yet. They don't like the way the Empire imposed its laws and officials on its citizens. However, they must show their support to the emperor, even it's feigned. She hoped that once the emperor is gone, the Empire would change for the better.

Leia was not present at the dinner because she had said she wasn't hungry and will go to her study to finish her essay on _The Art of Politics_. How lucky she was to not to be there! Of course, Leia had survivor's guilt, but she knew that her parents would not let her mope around and force her to go out and do her duty to her people.

Since then, she had been busy preparing for her coronation in a week, where she will finally be the empress of Alderaan, and she mourned her parents' death in private. Many people supported her openly because of her political reputation all over the galaxy. Despite being a twelve year old and the youngest soon-to-be queen in the galaxy, she had wisdom and shrewdness beyond her years-just like her mother, Senator and Queen Amidala of Naboo (she knows who is her biological mother, but her father remains unknown to her). She will face the world and do her duty to her people.

AN: Howdy doo! This chapter is done and I hope you like it. I used this chapter as a sort of setup or background for the story, so you readers will have some background knowledge to continue this story. The next chapter will be Leia's coronation. Leia and Vader action will come up soon!


	2. Leia's Coronation

_The Empress, Jedi, and Sith 1: Luke and Leia Discovered_

AN: Howdy y'all! Enjoy this chapter.

Every chapter from now on; there will be a summary of the last chapter posted at the top of each page. So, you wouldn't have to skim over the last chapter to know what was going on before reading the next chapter. Disclaimer applies too.

I changed the chapter one, such as taking out and putting in some details, because I don't want Leia to have some hatred towards the Empire now, or I'll have a hard time writing this story. For now, Leia will be just your typical innocent teenager girl who enjoys fun, and things like that. But she is also serious about bringing peace to Alderraan and doing her duty, and she believes diplomacy is better than war.

Slashes mean somebody's thoughts.

_Summary of The Funeral:_ In the last chapter, there was a magnificent funeral for Alderaan's deceased king and queen, Bail and Sache Organa. Their death remains in mystery, and it was rumored that the Empire had killed them and had intended to kill Leia too, so they can control Alderaan. Leia is a twelve-year-old girl who will be the empress of Alderaan.

Chapter 2: Leia's Coronation

She felt nervous when all of those eyes were on her, but she does not show it. Putting on a brave face, she began to walk slowly on the red carpet toward the man holding the tiara on a purple pillow. When she walked past the crowd, one by one, the people began to bow to her respectfully. Some music played in the background.

/I can't believe I'm going to be the youngest empress in the whole galaxy! The name Empress Organa does have a nice ring to it. Stars, I hope I'm not going to drop dead of nervousness. Can you drop dead just because you are nervous, something like can you die of boredom//

Leia was dressed in a splendor suitable for an empress. Her dress consists of a small train at the back and crystals or gems were embedded in her dress, making Leia shine like a star. But she would rather to dress in something more comfortable and hip. The dress was dragging her down anyway.

The week had passed so fast that she had no time to ponder on her upcoming coronation or search for the murderers (she believed somebody had killed her parents). However, once upon being an empress, she will search for the murderers more thoroughly and enact a swift justice on them. Normally, she doesn't hold a grudge against people, but the murder of her parents is a different matter.

Before the coronation, she had to deal with many ambassadors, senators, and the other matters the soon-to-be empress have to perform. Personally, she thinks it's boring and tiresome, but a girl got to do what she got to do.

/Mother and Father and…Mom (Padme) will be proud of me. Wherever you are, I vow to find out the cause of your death (Bail and Sache) and bring the perpetrator to justice//

The beautiful lithe silvery diamond tiara was placed on her head. It felt a little heavy, like a foreshadowing that doing an empress's duty won't be easy. The crowd began to burst in applause and cheers.

Before she knew it, the crowing part was over. She had recited the oath and all the mumbo jumbos all royals had to say before becoming a ruler. Soon, a speech will have to be addressed.

Leia felt a sensation that somebody's eyes were boring into her, which is not a comfortable sensation. Her eyes began to scan the crowd to see what can be causing her such sensation. At there, she spotted a very handsome man who is about two meters tall, a height that stands him apart from other crowd. He looks to be in his mid thirties with wavy brownish-blonde hair falling to his broad shoulders, and he wore all black. When her chocolate brown eyes met his icy cool blue eyes, Leia felt a jolt of electricity shock and quickly tore herself away from him.

/Whoa! That was definitely creepy! Who was that man? He looks familiar, but I can't place it. I will find out later. Gotta to go now to make my speech./

Leia went to the podium to make her speech as Alderaan's empress. She tried her best to ignore the uncomfortable sensation the handsome man was giving her. She began to address the crowd, the Alderaanian and Imperial Senate, and the whole galaxy (She is on holovid all over the galaxy, live), " Thank you everybody for the support for making me an empress. I will do my best to serve you and bring peace on our beautiful planet…"

She continued her speech where every word caused her confidence to grow. When her speech ended, the crowd burst into applause and cheers again…except for the mysterious stranger. His eyes told her otherwise, as if congratulating her from his eyes.

Leia quickly left the podium to head to her shuttle for a respite, but while on the way, she asked her best friend and handmaiden, Nadia, who was the mysterious stranger.

"Him? Your Highness, I'm surprised you didn't notice the most notorious man in the whole galaxy! He's Darth Vader, duh. I really have no idea why he would come here, but maybe his emperor sent him…"

Leia mentally smacked her head because she should have recognized him! His face is always plastered all over holovid.

/Of course! I should have known! God, why would he come here? He has no business here! Or his dried-up emperor probably sent him here. Wait, did she just call me "Your Highness"/

"Thank you, Nadia. Please don't call me "Your Highness", just "Leia", unless we are in public. Just because I became an empress does not mean I've changed. I'm just still your old Leia. Oh yeah, I just remembered I would have a meeting with him the first thing tomorrow morning. Ugh, being an empress means you have to deal with bad people too. Hey, why don't we go out and sneak for a bite before somebody misses us?"

"Are you sure, Your Highness, I mean, Leia? Remember there might be somebody out there who wants you dead," asked Nadia with uncertainty in her voice.

"Oh come on! Today's my last day and starting tomorrow, I'll be busy for the whole week, and we won't be able to hang out with each other that much. We can bring Winter with us; you know how she is good with a blaster, " pleaded Leia.

"Ok, fine, but you'll have to be disguised, so nobody will recognize you."

"Yay! Thank you so much! I'll go to my place, and I'll sneak out. Meet me at 7:00 outside of my you-know-what and tell Winter to bring her blaster."

She went into her personal shuttle and rushed home by telling the pilot to hurry up.

"Yes, your majesty!" shouted the pilot and he just zoomed off like that.

AN: Well that is all guys. I'm not very good with politics, but I guess they are essential here (Like Anakin, I don't like politicians at all). This story will be mostly focused on the relationship between Vader and his children. I'm making Leia develop her sense of humor, because I want this story to be a little light hearted and funny--not too serious and somber.

I don't really know what type of government Alderaan uses, but I know they are peaceful and have a queen or king. So the government will be modeled after England's Constitutional Monarchy and the Alderaanian Senate in be in there too…I guess…


	3. Sneaking Out

The Empress, Jedi, and Sith 1: Luke and Leia Discovered 

Disclaimer: Same thing as the disclaimer in the first chapter.

AN: I guess you readers are smart enough to know that in my title the Empress is Leia, the Jedi is Luke, and the Sith is Vader. But Luke won't be a Jedi yet, not in this beginning series. Oops! I just told you guys that this would be a series! Wouldn't that make you happy? I can imagine you guys smiling until you thought your face is gonna to crack. Enough of my ramblings and charge into my story!

Slashes mean somebody's thoughts.

_Summary of Leia's Coronation: _Leia is now officially known as Empress Organa. Her coronation went off with a blast, but she spotted a familiar stranger, who turns out to be the most notorious man in the whole galaxy, Darth Vader. She has no idea why would he be there, but that thought is set aside. Leia wants to sneak out with her two best friends and handmaiden, Nadia and Winter, for a bite that night. Soo..read on to find out more.

Chapter 3: Sneaking Out 

When Leia got home, she retreated to her private quarters and began to change into an outfit that would blend in with the ordinary crowd. No velvet, jewelries, crystals, or flashy things that will attract unwanted attention. Her outfit is composed of a heavy black cloak with hood that covered her plain white dress.

Finally, 7:00 P.M. came. She had made sure that the guards posted out her door think she's asleep by saying good night to them and left a fluffy pink "Do Not Disturb" sign on her doorknob. Pretty cute.

Unlike those holovids where a girl have to sneak out of her room by using a rope tied to a balcony, Leia has a secret door that leads to the palace grounds outside. Nobody except Nadia, Winter, and she know about the secret door. It all happened when Leia accidentally overturned a marble bust that has been there since anybody can remember. It turned out to be a lever, and the secret door just opened like that. After that, it became useful for Leia's little nightly escapade. Nobody had caught her…yet.

She flipped the marble bust firmly until the door was open. Upon entering it, the door closed behind her, and Leia strode down the stairs until she reached the exit to outside.

Nadia and Winter was waiting outside of her secret door, looking excited and impatient. This is their third time sneaking out with Leia.

"Ok, thanks for waiting me. How do I look? Adequate? Can you recognize me?" greeted Leia.

"Absolutely great! Anybody will mistake you for a Gammorean, " teased Nadia.

"Hey! Stop making fun of me! At least I don't look like a little red riding hood. Let's go, I'm hungry!" shouted Leia.

"Wait. Remember that we should lower our voices. There are more guards patrolling the grounds since the death of your parents. And we should eat somewhere less inconspicuous, such as a bar, not some fancy restaurant we used to eat out, " cautioned Winter.

"You're right, Winter. Good old Winter, the one who thinks of everything," sighed Leia.

"A bar? Isn't all bars seedy, full of drunk men who would grope any women passing them?" said Nadia.

"Not all bars, in fact, I do know one that is not as that bad. It's called _The House_, and it's a great place to eat, but they serve a lot of alcohol there. You'll not find much drunk men there because it's a "respectable" place where people mostly exchange goods or meet on…some business affairs." Winter paused and pressed her lips a little to show that the "business affairs" are actually where people do business related to smuggling or in nefarious dealings.

"Umm…ok, let's go there. Stars, I hope you are right this time, because this bar still doesn't sounds great. What if we knocked up with a wrong guy accidentally?" Nadia looked anxious, because she is concerned for Leia's safety and felt a little guilty for sneaking out again.

" At least, we won't be recognized there, not like in some high class restaurant. Again, the food is fabulous! Don't worry, Nadia. I'll look over both of you. Remember my superb blaster skills." Winter exclaimed at first, and then her voice became gentler when she looked at both of her younger best friends (Winter is 16, Nadia is 14, and Leia is 12).

To further reassure Nadia, she flipped her cloak aside and revealed a blaster tucked in her belt and another one strapped on her leg.

Leia nodded her head. " Thank you, Winter. You are an asset to us. I'm getting hungry. Can we please go _now?_ "

"Without further ado, let's get a transport down to the Lower Downtown."

So the girls found a transport far away from the palace grounds and hopped on it.

About twenty minutes later, they stopped in front of _The House. _The sun had set where an eerie shadow had been cast on its front door. The building is usually white, just like any other buildings in Alderaan. A large neon sign was slapped neatly over its door, proclaiming its name. Curtains were drawn over the windows. Men smoking cigarettes and weed were slouching next to the doors, and they looked thuggish and sinister.

"Don't worry, I can handle them, " reassured Winter.

Nadia gulped her throat anyway. As for Leia, she isn't scared, because she has a supreme confidence in her friend's blaster skills and her ability to make anybody do what she wants them to do. Also, Leia knows a few self-defense tactics recently taught to her by her Weapons Master, Giles Durane.

Winter lead the girls to the bar with Leia following her with an air of confidence. Nadia just, well, clung to Winter. Her brown eyes darted back and forth. She can be such as scaredy cat.

"Hey babes, wanna join me for a fun?" hooted one of the men slouching near the door.

"No thanks and shut up." After replying to him, Winter revealed her hidden blaster to warn him that you don't want to mess with her.

"Whoa, whoa. Easy down, babe. 'No' would suffice and I'll be on my way."

She smiled maliciously at him, "Good and stay the hell out of our way."

The man quickly lumbered away because he doesn't want to get shot by a teenager girl. Imagine that if he would shot by a girl years younger than him, how would he explain to his companions? They would certainly laugh at him and cause him an ever-lasting embarrassment. It's only matter of a male pride.

Nadia whispered, " You showed him! Wow! How do you do that?"

"Practice, Nadia."

"Good job, Winter." Leia congratulated her companion.

After the brief interlude, the girls entered the bar confidently. Nadia is no longer nervous like a scaredy-cat, because she has Winter and Leia with her.


	4. The House

_The Empress, Jedi, and Sith 1: Luke and Leia Discovered_

Disclaimer applies too.

AN: Thank you so much for the reviews So, read on! Sorry for keeping in you suspense for about two days. I had a lot of tests and quizzes coming up and the dreaded mid-term test coming up in about two weeks. Yup, that will be my first mid-term test because I'm a freshman in my high school. I just need more time to write a chapter. Thanks for your patience (which I know you are not patient at all!)

DarthGladitor45: You just guessed right! Vader had to rescue them! Whohoo, a cookie for you!

Redleef: That was my intent to make Leia sounds childish, so I can write some funny dialogues later in this story. Hmmmm…writing about Leia is harder than I imagine. How I do keep her childish and mature? Let me know if you guys have an idea. I know Luke would be easier to write about. He will come up soon, in about two or three chapters where Vader visit Tattoine. Yippee!

Jedi X-Man: Really? My story reminds of your story? Thanks!

_Summary of Sneaking Out: _Leia went to her palace after her coronation was done. Winter and Nadia, her handmaidens and best friends, were to accompany her to sneak out and eat. Winter thought they shouldn't go to some fancy restaurant or they'll be recognized and bring trouble on them. So they went to a restaurant called _The House_ where smugglers and dealers alike do their illegal business in there. But it's a "respectable" place (like the Cantina in Tatooine, but a little better).

Chapter 4: _The House_

Darth Vader nearly can't believe his eyes when he saw the young, beautiful empress. She looked so much like his late wife, Padme Amidala; even her career highly resembled Padme's career too.

The memory of his late wife brought an excruciating pain to his heart, but he pushed it away. No need for unwanted emotion now. Despite that, he still feel some nostalgia and longing for his wife whenever he sees Leia's face. She just…. looked so lovely and graceful…. like her…

When Leia went up to her podium, her eyes had met his. Hers was full of warm, chocolate brown…just like her… She looked so innocent, so pure that anything filthy wouldn't mar her.

Darth Vader listened to Leia's first speech as an empress intensely. It doesn't sounds so bad to him, but of course, like Padme, she can make anything sounds great and the audience would be captivated. Whatever issues they don't like, Leia can honey-coat it and make it more appealing to the audience. Then, they would gobble it up. What a gift any politician would love to have. Emperor Palaptine has that gift too.

Finally, the coronation was done. He still watched Leia walk to her shuttle. There was a girl walking and talking with her, probably her handmaiden. When she disappeared from his view, he walked away from the crowd to report to his master. In his private shuttle, Lord Vader began to holocom him.

When Emperor Palaptine's hologram image came into view, he spoke, " Master, I had gone to Empress Organa's coronation as you said. She seems harmless for now. Obviously so, they love her."

"Ah, yes. Leia Organa, the youngest empress in the whole galaxy. Doesn't it remind you of Amidala? Surely you remember her."

Vader froze at his master's mention of Padme and grittily spat out, "Yes. Now I will go to take care other business."

"Go and report back to me later. Send your spies to infiltrate Empress Organa's palace. We can't be sure she will be a traitor like her rebel father," Emperor Palaptine waved his hand at Lord Vader to dismiss him.

He bowed and shut the communicator off. The nerve of that old man! He was just prodding at him, taking in pleasure at his anger. One day, he'll overthrow the emperor and take his place and finally rule the galaxy! But not yet…

The reason Emperor Palaptine sent him to observe Empress Organa's coronation was just one of his cautionary impulses. He wanted to see how good she is in inciting the public and holding them to her will. If there was also a possibility that Empress Organa participated in the Rebel's activities, then she is a traitor to the Empire and will have to be tried. One must never underestimate youth, as his previous experiences taught him so

The shuttle began on its way to a bar called _The House_. Vader relaxed against his plushy seat. A smuggler said he has information about the rebel base's whereabouts. About a week ago, the smuggler had asked him to meet at him at the bar, because it was the best place to meet and discuss without anybody listening on them. He agreed because he was kind of desperate to get any information on the Rebels. Not that he'll let his master know.

"We're here, sir." A stormtrooper announced, saluted, and left.

Vader nodded at him, and left the shuttle to enter the bar. His lightsaber was safely tucked away under his black cloak. He would have to kill the smuggler if necessary.

He entered the bar, where the room was all in white, but the walls looked old and flaky. There were men sitting on high chairs, drinking alcohol, chatting, and smoking. The atmosphere was kind of smoky and heavy. Many round tables were occupied by people who were eating their meals. On the other side of the room, there was a door that leads into a corridor with many private rooms. It was where smugglers and dealers do their illegal dealings.

He strode to the door to find the room number the smuggler gave to him. On the way, many of women were giving him admiring looks. Darth Vader is certainly a beautiful man, like a Greek god, and he had an aura of confidence and power. He just ignored them; he had no use for them. He will not sullen his wife's memory by taking another woman.

The door leading into the corridor was your typical appearance of motel corridor. The wall was papery white, and some bloodstains could be seen on a wall. Dim lights hung from the ceiling. Vader gave a sound of disgust at the back of his throat.

Finally, the door was found. He opened and a smuggler was sitting across from him. He was smoking a cigarette and drinking the Corellian brandy (No, he is NOT Han Solo, just another smuggler. Han won't come in until much later.)

"Now, tell me what information you have regarding the rebellion."

"A rebel site is found on Tattoine. Right now, they are still active and operating. With that dustball, nobody will ever think they will be found there."

/Tattoine/ Vader looked a little shocked, but concealed it. He hadn't been to that planet for a long time. There were too many memories there. Besides, he hated the sand and hot weather.

"How do I know your information is veritable, and they are still operating now?"

"Here's the proof." The smuggler slid the datapad across the table.

Vader took it and scrutinized at it. After a while looking thorough the data, he knew the information is credible. Then he pocketed it.

"You will be given a reward from the Empire. Contact this number to get your reward. " A small holocard was given to him.

"Thank you, sir. If I have any more information regarding the Rebels, I will contact you immediately."

Vader nodded and quickly eft the room. Suddenly, he heard blaster shots and screams all over the bar. He quickly opened the door leading to the public part of the bar and took out his blood-red lighsaber.

"Winter! Nadia! Wake up!" screamed Leia.

Her friends were lying on the floor. Winter had a blaster wound on her shoulder and Nadia had one on her leg and shoulder. Both of them are unconscious and alive, but Leia doesn't know that.

Vader noticed a man readying to shoot at Leia, and he jumped up and quickly slashed him in two. The shooter is dead now.

While screaming at her friends, her hood came off, revealing Leia's face. Vader was surprised to see Empress Organa in the bar, in the very place! He didn't expect her to be in such place! This is obviously no place for young ladies!

Thorough the whole incident, the bar was noisy at first, and then deathly quiet and the occupiers had scrambled for cover.

"Lady, what are you doing here? This is no place for a young lady like yourself." Lord Vader crouched down beside Leia and surprised her with his question.

Her eyes grew wide when she recognized him. "Sir, can you help me and my friends? I need to take them to a hospital."

"I will, if you tell me the reason why you and your friends are here."

Vader ordered his stormtroopers to pick the girls up and transport them to a local hospital. Then, Leia followed him into his shuttle,

"Oh, thank you, sir. You don't know how grateful I am."

At this, Vader swung around and faced her, "Don't thank me again. I am just doing this because we wouldn't want your people lose their empress when she just barely begun ruling. "

Leia just nodded. Nobody had ever talked to her like this! For her whole life, people just kissed her ass all over, in fear that she will disfavor them when she becomes an empress. As if she would kill them!

Finally, when they reclined in their seats. Lord Vader swiftly came to the point, " A young lady like yourself shouldn't be in that place. You, all of the people, should know that. No empress would act in this such reckless manner. So, why are you in there?"

She blushed furiously when Vader scolded her. "I-I decided to s-sneak out and eat with my friends before I began do my job tomorrow. Um, I just want to uh, have fun."

Usually, Leia would be unruffled in this situation, but the presence of Darth Vader suddenly made her feel like a child and she can't think clearly at all. When he crouched down next to her at the bar, she felt some weird tingling feeling all over her skin. Pretty strange.

Vader nearly can't believe himself that he, all of the people, is scolding her! Her parents should be scolding and lecturing her, not him. But then, her parents are dead.

"I see. Ruling a planet should not be taken lightly, and somebody out here probably would kill you. Imagine that if the whole planet knew what you were doing out here tonight, there'll be an uproar over you. You wouldn't want that tomar your reputation. "

"Yes, sir."

/I swear, I'll never sneak out again! Oh Force, please keep them alive/

"Don't worry, your handmaidens are still alive. Who suggested going to there? If it was you, then you're more reckless than I thought."

/How did he know? Did he just read my mind/

"It was Winter's idea. She said the place was "respectable" and we can eat there if we keep our disguise on. I didn't know anything about this place, so I just go along with my friend. I usually trust her."

"It looks like your handmaiden lost her sense of which place is safe or not." Vader nearly sneered at Leia's friend's senses.

" I will tell her when we wake up, but please don't contact the Alderaanian Security Force or like you said, it will tar my reputation, " Leia nearly begged him.

"I will, but on one condition. Tell me about yourself, not about your political career. I am quite curious about you. Not now, but later when we meet."

Leia thought about the deal, and she thinks it sounds reasonable. Not everybody knows her "other" side. After all, what's the harm in telling him about herself?

" I concede to your condition."

Vader nodded his head. He was still staring at her with his icy cool blue eyes. Leia nearly squirmed under his gaze. She still feels the weird tingling feeling all over her body. She struggled to make her mind blank, because Vader is a Sith lord and probably can read her mind. It was said Sith Lords could do things that ordinary people can't do. (Like mind-reading)

/Hurry up, you shuttle/

"Next time, I suggest that you do not follow your friend's advice wherever she goes. Use your _real_ bodyguards, "quipped the man across her.

It would be a shame if Leia were…assassinated. Deep down, he has an intense curiosity about her. Again, she just looked so…. much like his late wife. Oh yes, Empress Organa is now one of the people to watch out for on his list. After all, he must make contacts with many planets' rulers to ensure they are true to their empire, and she is one of them.

Leia nodded again, "Yes, sir. I will keep your suggestion in my mind."

The shuttle came to a halt, and they got up to exit the shuttle.

Winter and Nadia were lying on their stretcher. Some blood could be seen on them. When Leia saw them, she rushed to her friends' side, " Winter, Nadia, are you okay? Answer me!"

Winter cracked an eyelid open, "Hey Leia, we'll be fine. Just hold on for us. The same thing for Nadia…" Then she closed her eye and went to sleep.

A nurse quickly put an oxygen mask on her friends' mouth, and carried them away to perform an operation.

Leia stared after them until they disappeared behind the doors. She trudged toward the waiting room, and then slumped in a chair. A large amount of guilty was felt and her conscience was screaming at her that if they died, it's all her fault.

Suddenly, tears came past her eyelids. Leia broke down and began to cry. The sound reverberated all over the waiting room. The other occupants looked at her with sympathy.

"Here. They will be fine, I know that." Vader handed her a black silk handkerchief with initials emblazoned on it.

Leia took it without looking and began to wipe her eyes and blow her nose.

"Sir? The operations on the girls were successful, and they are resting now. You may see them, but please don't wake them if they are sleeping," a nurse droid addressed Vader in its monotone voice.

Both of them went up and followed the droid. The droid led them to a room where they were lying in the bed by bed. They were sleeping and looked peaceful. Winter and Nadia had IVs poked in their arms and bacta patches covered their arms and legs.

She stared at them for a moment, feeling relieved that her friends are ok and alive.

She turned to Lord Vader, "Please take me home now or they'll notice that I'm missing. I will collect them later in the day."

Vader then swiftly turned around to go to his shuttle and drop off Leia at her palace. She told him to drop her at the gardens, where it leads to her secret door. Of course, she didn't tell him and he didn't question her.

Before leaving, Leia hesitantly turned to him, "We'll see again in morning." She just remembered that Vader does not like "Thank you", so she did not thank him. But she made that up by referring to their previous agreement, " Come by to my palace anytime and we'll meet in due to our agreement."

Vader said, "Yes, your highness. I will contact you some time in few months."

She nodded, and said " Good-night, sir."

He did not reply, but stared at her with his blue eyes. Leia turned and left the shuttle to go up to her room. In there, she felt exhausted and tired. All the past events, her coronation, the shootings, and talking with Vader made her want to sleep and forget everything. Hunger had left her and she doesn't have any appetite anymore.

Leia went to her refresher to take shower and change into her pajamas. Before she took shower, she noticed that she was holding a crumpled black silk handkerchief. The initials A.S. were emblazoned on it.

/Who is A.S.? Is Vader him?…/

However, Leia was too tired to ponder about it, so she left it on her desk. Then, after showering, she slipped into her large bed and fell asleep once her head hits the pillow. The clock struck at midnight.

AN: Yippe! I finally finished it! Luke is coming up very soon!


	5. Tatooine

_The Empress, Jedi, and Sith 1: Luke and Leia Discovered_

Disclaimer applies.

AN: Thanks for the reviews! I'm actually getting a lot more support than I expected! Guess what? This is my first fan fiction I ever wrote! I know you are impatient for Luke and Obi-wan to appear. Guess what? They are in this chapter! So read on guys and

PS: The last SW movies I saw was about two years ago, so forgive me if my description of something isn't right or clear cuz my memory is kinda hazy on SW movies.

Jedi X-man: You're too kind. Nobody ever said my written piece is a genius and cool. Lol. Hope you like this chapter.

DarthGladitor45: Here's a question for you: Why do Dark Lords like chocolate chips?

Jediracer: Finally! There's somebody who gave me a constructive criticism! You are right I should leave some cliffhangers, but I still need work on dialogue. How do you make dialogue less stiff? And I guess I should describe things more, so I'll throw in more adjectives and adverbs. Thanks for saying my story have potential.

Anon: Thanks for telling me that! Hope you like this chap.

Cozy-rozy-etc: Yeah, A.S. what you thought.lol

Alexceasar: Yesss. It will be fun to watch that! Lol. Keep reading my story!

Sica: Thanks ya!

Phylitr: You'll have to keep reading to find that out. lol. Keep guessing, I like to see my readers guess.lol

Tasuja: I like L/M pairings too, but I'm thinking if Mara should appear or not. But stay tuned! There may be a twist!

Dmitchell: I agree with you. I don't like Vader in suit too. So I made him suitless in this story

GreenteaandHoney: No offense. You are not being rude to me. I'm open to suggestions on improving my writing. Maybe I should have put something like "tarnish my image". I only mean, "mar" to make the reputation look bad.

_Summary of The House: _Leia and her friends were found at the bar. A trigger-happy man shot down Winter and Nadia, and Vader slashed the man in two and saved Leia's life. The girls were taken to hospital. While rushing to the hospital, Leia and Vader had a chat. He will not contact or tell anybody what happened and Leia will tell about herself to him.

Chapter 5: Tatooine 

_A week later…_

The _Executor_, the Dark Lord's super star destroyer, is orbiting the luminous planet Tatooine. The planet had fooled many people before who never saw it, only to assume it is a bright star. Tatooine is beautiful yet it is a wasteland. Desert covered every area of the planet, where no vegetation or green could be found. Surprisingly, life could be found there, even humans can live there.

After obtaining information from the smuggler at the bar, Vader immediately set course to Tatooine to discover any rebel sites and capture it. While journeying to the planet, he had retreated to his mediation room for the whole duration. In there, he was trying to battle many painful memories and unwanted emotions the cursed planet had caused to him. Even worse, the rebel site is about five mile away from the Lars home. He had no doubt that Owen and Beru had married and are working as moisture farmer as Cliegg Lars did before Owen.

It would be best if Vader quickly executed the mission and leave the damned planet behind quickly as possible.

The Lars' Home… 

"Luke! Come here!" called Uncle Owen.

Luke Skywalker sighed and stopped fixing on one of his machines. His annoying uncle probably wants him to do another boring chore today.

/Damn it! I want to leave this boring planet and go to the Academy, like Biggs/

He sauntered over to his uncle who was glaring at him for making him wait.

"Today, I want you go to visit the Jawas and find the parts we need for the vaporators," said Uncle Owen.

"Yes, Uncle Owen. I'll go now."

"Good. See that you return before the suns set. You know what it is like outside," Uncle Owen remarked gruffly.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll go now."

Luke went to the kitchen to get credits from the jar and hug his aunt before leaving.

"Bye, Aunt Beru. I'm going out."

"Ok, be a good boy, Luke. I'll make a bathaburger for you when you come back."

"Really? Thanks so much, Auntie! Bye!"

She just smiled at her nephew. The boy does have a big appetite, despite his small stature.

/Just like his mother…/

Luke went to his workshop to get his landspeeder. The workshop was kind of small and dirty, but at least it belonged to Luke. The landspeeder was located at the far side of the room. It was laid on the floor, but when it's powered up, it rises up, like antigravity and gravity are repelling each other. The four-seat land speeder looked beat-up and orangey, but it still works, only few sands in its engine.

After hopping in, he zoomed out of his workshop into the searing heat. Tatto I and Tatto II are high in the sky, beating its merciless rays on anybody who dares to venture outside. Their positions indicate the time is about four o' clock P.M. Luke better hurry and get home before they set at six o' clock.

Ten minutes after dodging a few tall, sharp stones, he decided to visit Ben Kenobi before going on his way to the Jawas. He hadn't seen Ben for a while, because it was the harvest season, and his uncle and aunt needed his help to harvest the farm.

Ben was sort of like a second father figure to him. He is the opposite of Uncle Owen in almost every way he can think of. One, Ben never yells or blusters at him. Two, he never demands anything from him. The list goes on. Luke never knew who was his father, except being a navigator pilot back in the Clone War, and died when he was just a baby.

When Ben's home came into the view, Luke stopped his landspeeder and jumped out. His door was closed and looked clayish, just like the rest of his tiny building. The adobe building seemed to mesh into its surrounding or the cliff-like structure behind it.

The twelve years old boy went up and knocked the door, but there was no immediate reply as usual or him opening the door with a welcoming smile on his face. His thoughts began to whirl around in his head.

/What happened? Ben must have gone into the town, right? I mean, he doesn't know I'm here, so he doesn't expect-/

Luke…come in… 

/Whoa! What was that/

He felt kind of funny and strange, I mean, this hadn't happened to him before. There were tendrils of _something _telling him that, like a ghost whispering in his ear.

Anyway, he pushed the door slowly and entered to find Ben looking sickly and emaciated and sweaty. There were dark circles under his eyes and bony flesh could be seen from his arms. He was lying on the bed. The windows were open, letting in much sunlight as possible. But the bad thing was the suffocating heat in the room. It felt like he was trapped in a hot baking oven.

Ben's eyes brightened up when he saw Luke, "Luke! I'm glad you came."

His thoughts about the _something _disappeared when he saw Ben dying. Luke rushed to his bedside and anxiously asked, "What happened? Why you look sick?"

He chuckled for a moment, but let out a hacking cough when he tried it.

"Dear boy, I will be one with the Force soon. It is a disease I am dying of. Not quite common on Tatooine. Nothing you can do about it."

"Why didn't you tell me? When this happened?" demanded Luke.

"There's nothing you can do for me, and it all happened about a week ag-"

Ben stopped and let out another hacking cough and motioned at the water pitcher next to him. The boy jumped up and quickly poured it into a cup, and helped him to drink it.

"Thank you," he murmured.

He raised his eyes to meet Luke's, "Luke, open the box next to me."

Luke looked at Ben hesitantly. He really wants to help him, but Ben said he couldn't do anything for him. So he thinks it's best to stop arguing with him and do what he says.

He went to retrieve and open the box next to Ben. The interior was woody and bare except a strange metallic cylinder-like object with a button lay in there. It looked cool and gleamed in the light. There were five finger-like grooves on a side of it. Luke just stared at it, took it out, and rolled it back and forth in his hands.

At this, Ben said, "It belonged to your father, and he would like you to have it very much. Press the button."

Luke pressed the button, and brilliant blue came shooting up. No heat radiated from it, and the brilliant blue looked like a laser, but laser gives heat away. So it must be something like a heatless laser.

The boy gasped at it, his mouth was open. He felt awed by it. He whispered, "What is it? It's so beautiful. So cool…."

Ben sucked in a breath and chuckled, "Dear boy, it's a lightsaber. All Jedi use it as a weapon. Use it wisely. Your father lost it more than once. Had to find it every time…"

Still whispering, " My father was a Jedi? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because your uncle wouldn't let me tell you. So I had to wait until the right moment to tell you, and the moment is now."

Luke's expression grew darker, nodded, and shut the lightsaber off. Then clipped it away on his belt. He had heard about the lightsabers in his classes, but he didn't know they still existed around here. He had asked Ben once why he didn't have a lightsaber, and he said he doesn't really need one and have no use for it now.

"Typical Uncle Owen, "he muttered.

Ben then motioned at him to come closer to him, and the boy leaned in closer to him.

"Luke…Never do anything out of hate or anger. It will lead you to the dark side. I loved your father like a brother and son…Use the lightsaber wisely…. I will come to you in time…"

Luke doesn't understand much what he was saying, but listened and memorized it by heart. He had to help out the old man as much as possible…even he won't be there for him for long…

"I will be always by your side and I love you very much…May the Force be with you…"

After looking hard into the boy's eyes for a moment, he began to fade away.

"Ben! Wait! I have more questions! Please don't go now! I need you!" Luke shouted and started to sob. He was clutching and shaking Ben's arm.

At this, Ben just smiled and faded away.

When he left, the room felt much colder, like the baking oven suddenly turned off a long time ago or a sudden draft came in, but the outside pretty much seemed hot as ever. Luke began to slide down to the floor, shivered, and began to cry more. He really love Ben even his uncle called him a crazy old fool. Luke was like this for about five minutes.

Finally, he heaved himself up so he can bury the old man. If he left him out like that, the Sandpeople or the Force knows what will take him. He dried his tears and resolutely went to his landspeeder to get a shovel. Then, Luke started to shovel the sand next to the adobe house.

Thirty minutes later, Luke felt nearly dehydrated and very tired. At least the heat wasn't so bad as before. The suns will set in about one hour, so he better hurry and go home. His uncle will probably get mad for not getting the parts, but Ben is more important than getting parts. Anyway, he'll do it tomorrow.

Luke grabbed a flask of water from his landspeeder and greedily drank water from it. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

/Better go now and bury him./

He slid his arms under the corpse and tried to lift the hundred-something pounds body, but dropped when it was too heavy for him. Luke sighed.

/Forgive me, Ben. But you're too heavy./

He wrapped his hands around his feet and instantly jerked them off the bed. He carefully pulled the rest of his body down the bedside, so Ben's head wouldn't hit the floor and crack. Luke then dragged the corpse to outside, to the burial pit, and slid his body into the hole.

The boy began to put sand over the body until it was covered completely. Throughout the whole burial thing, he was pretty much dry eyed. He felt despair or sadness and full of questions at first, but after awhile, he finally accepted the death of Ben, and will remember him as always for the rest of his life. His questions probably will go unanswered.

/Oh Ben, why didn't you tell me more about my father before? I wish I had known him…/

Suddenly, an idea popped out of nowhere. He should create a grave marker for Ben! By that way, anybody who passed the house would know how a great Jedi he was. Luke knew Ben was a Jedi and what is the Force, but he never interacted with it.

So Luke found a large, flattish boulder and used one of his inventions he made in his workshop to lever it up and place it over Ben's burial site.

From his landspeeder, he got a laser-like pen; only it cuts through most surfaces, like a mini-lightsaber. Standing a good distance away from the boulder, Luke engraved the words:

Ben Kenobi 

_Unknown-Twelfth Year of the Empire _

_A Great Jedi Who Is a Hero And Will Be Remembered_

After engraving it, the boy felt exhausted and emotionally drained. He really misses Ben. He shivered and stared out at the suns. They will set in about forty minutes, and dusk will approach.

Luke went to his landspeeder to grab his tan cloak and wrapped it around himself. He knelt in front of the grave marker, stared at it for a few minutes, until he felt a breeze fluttering around him.

He stood up to go into Ben's house. Luke just wants to stay there a little bit longer, just for a while. Then he'll go home and break the news to his aunt and uncle.

Luke crawled into the old Jedi's bed and rested there.

/Stars, I really miss him…./

His eyes began to close and he drifted off to sleep.

About fifteen minutes later, the boy felt a heavy presence next to him. His eyes flew open. There was a pair of eyes staring back at him.

AN: HAHAHA, I finally put a cliffhanger! Thanks to Jediracer for reminding me this!

ATTENTION: For the rest of this month, I won't be updating that frequent because I have midterm tests coming up on Feb. 1, 2, 3. Also, I have a lot of school projects and tests and studying now. So, I will be likely to update about once a week for the rest of this month. After the midterm tests end, I will be back, like updating twice per week. Sorry guys, don't blame me, so blame the school system.


	6. Luke and Vader

_The Empress, Jedi, and Sith 1: Luke and Leia Discovered_

Disclaimer applies.

**AN:** Thank you very much for the reviews! I appreciate them very much. Guys. I'm sooooo sooorrryyy for not updating! I was soo busy and I a little time to type this out, so enjoy this chapter.

GreenTeaandHoney: Wow, that was the longest review I ever got, but thanks anyway. Yeah, you are right, I should ask myself if they speak that way. I think I always get my tenses mixed up.lol. Nobody ever said they are proud of me. Thx. Lol. :

Tasuja: Really? I had tried to make Luke's dialogue and thoughts less stiff when I was typing the chapter. Do you mean I should make his dialogue and thoughts more informal? And colorful, do you mean I should let him swear? Something like, "banthaspit", "Sithspawn", "Sithhell", & "Sithballs"? That was really funny. Lol.

Jedi X-Man: Thanks ya again! You are still too kind.lol. Cuz of your name, you like X-men too? I watched the movies and I think they're cool.lol.

Este: Thanks girl! Please keep reviewing! Don't forget to enjoy this chappie.lol

DarthGladitor45: Hmmmm..Maybe it's because of its brown color that the Dark Lords like so much. I guess the Jedi like milk chocolate or white chocolate cuz its colors associate with the light side. Lol. I wonder do Vader ever eat, piss, and sleep like everybody else…. or eat chocolate chips in secret? Lol! Enjoy this chappie.

Abbs04: Thank you very much! Enjoy this chappie!

_**Summary of Tatooine:**_ (Last chapter) Vader had gotten information about the rebel site on Tatooine and went there. On Tatooine, Luke was sent by his uncle to get the parts for the vaporators by meeting the Jawas, but he decided to visit Ben Kenobi, the hermit. Ben was dying of a disease and before he died, he gave Luke's father's lightsaber to the boy. Ben warned Luke of the dark side and he'll stay beside Luke after his death. However, Luke doesn't want him to go, but Ben died in his arms anyway. He had created a grave marker and a burial site for Obi-wan. Soon, he went to sleep in Obi-wan's house, but after a while, he felt a heavy presence and a pair of eyes staring back at him.

**Chapter 6: Luke and Vader**

There was a pair of eyes staring back at him. The color was deep, cool blue, very much like Luke's. It belonged to a very tall man with powerful build. There was a small vertical scar on the right side of his face, probably from an accident. His brownish-blonde wavy hair nearly touched his shoulders. The outfit was all black and dark brown. Not a good color to wear in Tatooine. His presence was dark and strangely…. seductive.

Luke quickly got up from his lying position and hesitantly inched away from the stranger in the front of him.

The handsome man opened his mouth, and asked, " Did Kenobi die?"

Luke, staring at the man, is now not really frightened by him at all, replied, " Yeah, he just died a few hours ago…."

Luke's expression became painful and sad. The mentioning of Ben again made him want to weep more, but he can't weep anymore. His tear ducts were all dried up.

The strange man just nodded, like he knew that Ben already died. Then he turned his head to face the boy directly. His ice blue eyes were locked on Luke's eyes.

"Who are you? How is this man related to you? Is he your master or did he train you?" His voice became darker and a little more menacing. His presence seemed to heighten the man more, making him look more powerful and a little deadly.

Luke stammered, a little frightened by the sudden change in the strange man, " Uh, h-he is just an old hermit I knew him since I-I was a little boy. I, uh, am Luke. "

And then he said after pausing for a moment, "What do you mean that he trained me? Trained me in what?"

Vader said, " Did he teach you about the Force?"

"What? The Force? No, I don't know much about it."

"Don't lie to me! It's obvious he knew you and you probably trained with him!"

Luke shrank and stammered more, "I-I, uh, don't know, sir. Please! I'm really telling the truth! I don't know what this whole training thing. Please sir!"

Vader sensed the truth behind those boy's words and felt resigned that the damnable Kenobi didn't train him. That would probably give him an excuse to get rid of more Jedi. But he still can't help feeling something different about this boy and that this boy is…special and shone so bright in the light side! It almost stung him. It's very obvious that this boy is untrained and very powerful in the Force, even untrained. What an asset to the dark side….

The stranger still stared at him, " I see. Whom are you living with?"

"My Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru."

Mentally, Vader reeled.

/The Lars! Owen and…/

However, Luke added a new piece of information that would shatter Vader's life.

"…. But I don't have their last name. I took my surname after my father, Anakin Skywalker…. but he died when I was a baby… Anyway, who are you?"

The expression on Luke's face was sort of wistful and respectful when he said his father's former name, namely the man in front of him. For the whole life, he had fantasized his father is still alive and living with him. They would do father and son things together, but his father is dead, or his uncle said so. He looked downcast and his eyes were lowered to the floor.

Vader reeled mentally more. Except this revelation was more shocking than the last revelation about the Lars.

/What? Skywalker? A son? T-this means Padme survived giving birth to my son! I thought the baby died with her/

Suddenly, Luke's face was snapped up by the chin to face the man.

He said in his deep and darkish voice, " That will not concern you now. You must come with me now."

But then he trailed off, "Too bad Kenobi wasn't here…. I would like to…" His eyes were facing in the direction of the old Jedi's grave.

Luke began to wonder how this man knew the old Jedi.

/Were they old friends? Or enemies/

"Sir, how do you know Ben?" He wasn't scared of this man anymore, because _something _told him this stranger would not hurt him, and believed it in it.

Vader stared at him again and exclaimed, " He took away my life! My family and wife! He betrayed me many years ago and he was too blind to see the truth!"

The boy was nearly taken back by his outburst and shocked at Old Ben's "betrayal". He can't believe it Ben would betray somebody, because it doesn't sounds like him. He seemed very kind to Luke all those years. Why would he betray the stranger?

"Um, sorry, sir. I didn't know that. He was very kind to me all those years."

Vader let out a humorless laugh.

"Luke, he can be very deceiving and likes to twist truth around. Appearances can be deceiving."

Luke is getting more puzzled about this man, this guy is definitely an enigma, and he doesn't know his name yet.

In out of respect of the old man's memory, he did not say anything, but just kept quiet, or simply doesn't know how to answer to that remark.

Abruptly, Vader dropped his leather clad hand and said, "Come, we must go."

The boy doesn't like the way he said the last sentence, somehow it sent a chill up in his spine.

/Okkkkk…This is getting weird…/

So Luke slid out of Ben's bed to follow him. However, before he left the adobe building, he took one last look at his surroundings. The nightstand was standing next to the small bed, a shuttered window was open, a 'fresher was at the other side of the room, and a table was located at the opposite wall of the 'fresher.

Despite the shocking revelation of Ben's "betrayal", Luke will remember and hold him to his heart for the rest of his life. Ben's last gift to Luke, the lightsaber, was safely tucked away in his tunic, where nobody can see it. Then, he left, never looking back.

At outside, there was this black-clad man leaning against his sleek, black speeder, waiting for him. He looked a little impatient, like he had to be somewhere more important.

His speeder looked sleek, advanced, and Luke even bet that the stranger's speeder would outperform his batty landspeeder.

Luke but can't help commenting on it, "Wow! That speeder is so cool! Where did ya get it?"

The stranger just gave him a small smile and said, "It's the Hyper X-1, the best speeder on the market. I just simply got it as a gift."

Luke just nodded, his eyes wide. However, the stranger abruptly said, "We must go _now_." Vader had put the Force into his words, because he is out of time and needed to go back to his Star Destroyer, and he just want to see how well the boy responds to his Force-induced command.

He didn't. Luke just resisted it and began to blabber some questions, " Cool! Who gave it to you? What does it do? What is this little silver button?"

Amazingly, the boy is very strong in the Force and a bond is forming between them. But this still doesn't prove that he is his son; when Vader goes back to his flagship, he will use a blood test to verify the match between him and the boy. He half hoped it would be a match and not a match. He must be starting to get soft…must not let that happen…


	7. The Raid

_The Empress, Jedi, and Sith 1: Luke and Leia Discovered_

Disclaimer applies. (Duh!)

AN: Reviews are greatly appreciated, and let's just jump into the story! Oh, before do that, I just want to say I'm sooooooooo sorry for not updating for a long time. Things had been so busy, and now, I've just caught the time to update. I even updated my other fic, so please read it and let me know what you think of it. I don't think it's that bad. I followed DarthGladitor's advice about reading the book, and I noticed that Vader might seem OOC in this chapter, but it's too late to change that. But I'll try my best to keep the dark elements into Vader's thoughts and actions in later chapters. I just would like to see him go a little softie around his children, his weak spot. Now, you can jump into the story, and thanks for the reviews for the last chapter.

_Summary of Luke and Vader: _Vader had came to Obi-wan's house in Tatooine, and discovered a young boy sleeping in the house. In there, Vader interrogated the boy by asking him about Ben and Luke. Somewhere in their conversation, there was a shocking revelation that Luke turns out to be his son, but Vader half-hoped that this boy isn't his son for some reasons. Luke doesn't know who is Vader and that this man is his father. And read on….

**_Chapter 7: The Raid_**

"Luke, you must go with me to my ship in the orbit. We cannot delay any longer," demanded Vader.

But the boy stubbornly refused to go with him, saying he want to see his aunt and uncle before going with him.

Even he secretly like the idea of going with this stranger…seeing the galaxy and having adventures and he would be off this dustball. Luke knew that he was meant for something greater than living on the dustball, even he wasn't sure what he was meant to do.

But…he got to say good-bye to the people who loved and raised him for his whole life. Yes, even his grumpy and seemingly unloving Uncle Owen.

"No, sir. I must see my aunt and uncle before I go with you. They raised and fed me for my whole life, and it would seem unfair if I suddenly left behind them without saying good-bye," Luke stubbornly declared to the stranger.

Vader complemented about this for a moment. He wants his maybe or maybe-not son to go with him and take the DNA test. And if he is truly his son, then maybe this boy will be trained in the Dark Arts and become his heir. If not, well then, that's up to the emperor. This boy is, after all, incredibly powerful in the Force, even untrained.

It would certainly be not a good idea to see his past life all over again. He wants to get this off the dustball quickly as possible and bury all the memories that came with it. That includes his stepbrother and his wife.

"Very well. But only to say good-bye and no more than that. Then, we will go," acceded Vader.

"Wait. What are you going to do with me if I go with you?"

Vader knew a good answer to the question. If this boy were anything like his father when Vader was at his age, Luke would dream all of the galaxy adventuring and all the stuff.

"Luke. Tell me, did you ever dream of leaving this planet and seeing something else for a change?" asked Vader.

He crouched in front of Luke to meet at his eye level. Amazingly, Vader isn't sweating like a pig, and Luke was sweating badly. Then again, Vader isn't a normal man as most people seem to think.

He looked deeply into the boy's eyes, the eyes that are an exact replica of his. The boy looked so much like him when he was at Luke's age. In his mind, he saw himself as a nine-year boy, back about twenty-six years ago, when he was living as a slave on Tatooine.

"Yeah. I told my Uncle Owen that I wanted to go to the Academy and be a pilot, like my father! But he said no, and it's always no and no. He always said, " Maybe next year, I need you around for the harvest." Or " Didn't you know that flying is bad for you? You could get killed!" and all the yaddas, " Luke exclaimed angrily. He was fuming silently at his uncle for denying him many opportunities to get off this dustball.

Inside, Vader smiled at Luke's outburst. Just exactly as he thought, now it would be easier to take this boy away. It sounds like Owen Lars hadn't changed since Vader met him many years ago. However, he was surprised to hear the mention of himself and Luke's interest in flying.

He decided to push that matter further, " What did he tell you about your father?"

"Umm…Uncle Owen said he died when I was a baby and he was a navigator. That's all he told me. I tried to get more information about him, but he won't tell me anything more. "

"And your flying?"

"I love to fly! It's fun, and I even built my own skyhopper! It's bit rusty, but it does work better than I thought. Sometimes, Biggs and I would go for race and see who wins. I always win the races. Everytime Uncle Owen sees me racing; he'll go berserk and yell at me for trying to give him a heart attack, " Luke giggled at the thought of his uncle's saying about giving him a heart attack.

" So, will you go with me, after you see your aunt and uncle?"

Luke brightened up right away. He eagerly nodded his head, anticipating all the adventures that he would experience when he go with this man.

"Yes sir!"

Vader beckoned Luke to jump behind him on the bike, and when he did it, Vader brought the engine to life and zoomed off to the Lars' homestead.

Minutes later, Luke spotted a mass of burning piles in the horizon. With growing horror, he realized that it was his home burning. When they stopped in front of the burning mass, Luke cried out and spotted two skeletons in the flames. He knew it belonged to his aunt and uncle.

His knees gave away, knelt, and began to cry. Loud sobs racked his chest.

Throughout the whole thing, Vader watched the boy's reaction closely and surveyed the burning mass. It looks like a Tusken raid. How he hated those creatures! Years ago, they took his mother and killed her. And in his rage, he decimated the whole village that kept his mother in captive. The boy now knows the pain he had felt, years ago.

A raid where it looks like the Tusken decided to steal, kill the owners, and burn the house.

It was a perfect excuse to not to see the Lars, bring up unwanted memories, and take the boy back to his ship. If this boy is truly his son, then this experience will push him toward the Dark Side more than ever.

Luke moaned and sobbed, "Nooo…..Who did those?….Noooo"

The Sith Lord went to him and whispered in his ear, " It looks like a Tusken raid. They killed your aunt and uncle, and stole their things. They killed them to get your aunt and uncle's possessions."

At those words, Luke went into a rage and hate. It came up from inside of his chest and threatened to spill out. He wanted so badly to kill those Tusken, those who killed his relatives.

Vader saw and felt the rage coming from the boy. Such power! The rage is magnificent, coming from this boy! He would indeed be a fine Sith Lord. However, he decided to push him a little more to the Dark Side.

"Don't you want to find them and kill them? They're probably now haggling over the goods, playing with them, and telling their stories proudly and bragging on how they killed and robbed your aunt and uncle, " he crooned into the boy's ear.

Luke let out a low growl, his teeth baring, and his hands clutched the sands tightly. He turned to the man next to him, and asked, " Do you know where they are?"

Vader shook his head, " No. If you come with me and train under me, then you can come back here and take your revenge. Revenge is sweet, after it is desired for a long time. Now, come. There is no place in here for you to go."

Thus, this experience showed Luke some aspects of the Dark Side: Rage, Hate, and Revenge.

AN: Don't worry, I won't make Luke go into the Dark Side. He is just experiencing typical loss and feelings of the Dark Side that you might feel when your family members are murdered. Leia will come up soon! She might appear in the next two chapters or so. Reviews will be greatly appreciated. Toodles!


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